lucky arse...



that's MJ (Michael Jordan) riding a motorcycle during the Valencia Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain, on Saturday. (jealousy boils within...) o yeah...and to make things worse, i don't get to go home until december friggin 22nd!! damn UW, they just HAD to screw me over one last time w/ a dumbass exam schedule didn't they? bastards...

welp...things have been flying by pretty quick this term. i mean, one second i'm moving into my new place, organizing my living space, getting a "feel" for the kitchen space...and !bam! it's november already?! scary...don't even wanna be thinking about what i'll be doing when i go back. i'd originally thought of applying to teach english overseas in 2005 back when i THOUGHT i'd graduated in May, but now i've just been too busy to give that possibility much thought so i most likely won't be doing that next year. so i'll be back home w/ this stupid piece of paper. career aspirations? no clue. at least last time when i went back it was right at the beginning of the summer, it seemed like "everyone" was on holiday, but this time after xmas is over and i'm back there everyone will be going back to school/work, and i'll be...? definitely need some guidance/direction. who knows how long i'll even stay out West? uy...maybe i think too much when i'm tired, just came back from studying @ DC for a few hours & Lifesong practice, or perhaps i just never think enough. dude...this is so cool...i'm talkin' to my dad on msn n i told him to stick my dog (bobo) on the webcam so i can see the lil bugger...man i miss my lil see fut jai...

alright...gotta go cook dinner. november will be "swimming month". i hereby declare that i will try to go to the pool 3 times a week for this whole month. (emphasis on try) let's see how it goes...

irritated nipple - Friday, October 29 2004

my HIST 200 course is a joke. the course is titled History and Film, but it's anything but. this is just me venting more than anything, prbbly won't make much sense but i thought i'd record it. heard this course was good from ppl who took it before, but the prof that used to teach it retired, and now there's this new chick who has decided to make this course all about critical thinking?! turns out this numbnut's got a hidden agenda; trying to implement some new technologies/learning strategies in collaboration w/ something called the Carnegie Foundation? so she's got us doing this stupid critical review crap that has pretty much nothing to do w/ HISTORY & FILM, and all this online garbage.

one of the required submissions we gotta make online is this midterm "reflection" quiz. reflect my ass. the questions/content of this "assignment" were just so bogus that i decided to meet w/ one of the TA's the other day to see whether i was just stupid and didn't get it, or if someone else thought that the whole thing was just as retarded as i did. essentially she did, although she didn't quite use those words (and neither did i of course). aaargghgh...so she's on my side, but couldn't do much except assure me that i could speak my mind as long as i backed it up. so i did. the following is that stupid "quiz" we had to complete, something that enables the prof to think she's actually taught us something i guess (moron!):

HIST 200: MIDTERM REFLECTION

1. Please outline the content you expect to include in your ePortfolio. As you know, you are expected to include your reflections on critical thinking and your critical reviews. What other content do you expect to include?

I plan to include the expected content (i.e. Group Critical Film Review, Individual Critical Film Review).

As for other content, apart from a select few of my One Minute Summaries, and perhaps one or two personal examples of how I have used Critical Thinking as I define it in the workplace, I cannot think of anything else of significance that would go in my ePortfolio.

2. Please describe how the content mentioned in question #1 will show your critical thinking development this term.

I believe the content in Question #1 may show how I have applied critical thinking this term, but I do not think it is fair to say that my critical thinking abilities have developed in any signifcant way thus far. I don't see how the instruction (or what little "instruction" there has been at least) in class has really had anything to do with critical thinking.

My One Minute Summaries and Critical Film Reviews may show I have been able to apply critical thinking towards the analysis and interpretation of films as they relate to certain time periods, but this is honestly nothing new. By the way, isn't this course HIST 200? History and Film? I thought Critical Thinking was PHIL 145...

3. Please describe how the use of the ePortfolio is influencing your decisions about what you can include as evidence. How does using an ePortfolio affect what you are planning to include? How does the ePortfolio compare to other methods of assessment: a) term paper; b) final exam; c) group project? Be specific and provide examples.

The use of the ePortfolio will have no influence whatsoever on what I will include as evidence. Using an ePortfolio as opposed to an old-fashioned paper copy allows me to submit items in digital/electronic media.

I think the ePortfolio is an interesting new way of assessment. Actually, I think it would be an excellent tool for both students and teachers, but only if there was sufficient relevant material taught and absorbed throughout the course. As of now: a lot has been absorbed, but nothing significant is being taught.

4. How else do you think you might be able to use an ePortfolio? Please be as specific as possible.

Other than keeping notes for my own personal reflection (or oh I don't know, showing my MOM what I've "learned at school today..."), I do not see any particularly useful purpose for my ePortfolio. In fact, I don't see what compiling all this "critical thinking" has to do with my learning about History & Film. That is the course that I signed up for right?

But then again, perhaps the ePortfolio is useful for the instructor; a way of presenting to themselves (and perhaps others) the "progress" or "enlightenment" that has been occurring in the minds of students throughout the term. There has been a lot of talk about "analysis" and "reflection" from the instructor, but the required guidance for this analysis/reflection has been totally insufficient and confusing.

Furthermore, I really do resent the fact that I feel like I am paying to be part of someone else's experiment. I understand that this new technology is exciting and opens up many new possibilities for students and teachers alike, but before we implement these innovative technologies into a course and bombard students with new methods to express what they've learned, shouldn't we teach them something first?

Sorry, I needed to get that out of my system. I haven't learned ____. Thank you.

(i really did try and hold back. don't wanna come off like i was trying to be some kinda smartass...but this course really pisses me off and i had to let her know.)

in other news, i decided to take a break from meat for tonight *gasp!* =O (don't worry, i'm ok) and had some fish. mmm...rainbow trout filet...very tasty.

i would've taken another picture after i'd finished cooking it, but i just couldn't control myself and i ate it before i got the chance. O_o that calmed me down a bit though. whooosaaa....

used & abused - Wednesday, October 27 2004

omg...it just dawned on me. i've been taken for a cheap manwhore! that experiment i just took part in on friday; all they had to do was offer me $25 and a free sandwich, and i let them undress me and take pictures of me? and on top of that...they didn't even pay me up front! i'm still waiting for my cheque in the mail! for shame!!! =O what a rip off...



anyway, got my mythology midterm back today n that was alright, hope the next one's more of the same. volleyball playoffs are coming up, Lifesong's coming up fast, gotta see if i can get one of my finals moved up so i can go home earlier for xmas...uy...and worst of all...two dollar vanilla bean lattes @ Second Cup are over!! o_O

Saturday, October 23 2004

last night was fun. bunch of ppl went over to Sophia's place in CLT where we made (and ATE) a ton of dumplings until around 0200.

this morning, had a big ass breakfast, then got a call from ray reminding me about our group meeting @ 1130 in DC, so i hustle on over there and arrive about an hour late. get some good work done though, and while i was researching my part at a computer, who should i see but a girl walking around who looks remarkable similar to my Westcoast friend sarah? turns out it is sarah. i knew she was studying some fashion stuff @ Ryerson, but why the heck was she over here? turns out she was just visiting her boyfriend (who is also from BC) who goes to UW, & i guess they were on a "study-date" hahaha. only in waterloo... so yeah it was cool, did a lil catching up, talked for a bit about some differences betw. East & West, etc...

Mike, Nate & G are in town for their convocations today, so we went to Golf's Steakhouse for dinner to kinda celebrate. i had an amazing piece of meat; prime rib. i was happy.

o yeah...so yesterday (Friday, October 23) i spent the whole day (0830-1800) in some lab as the subject of an experiment for a Kinesiology master's student. from what i understood, the study was looking at something along the lines of the affects bedrest on astronauts when they return to earth and have to experience gravity again. there was a whole lotta crap i didn't understand, but that's basically it. so they do all these tests (takes about 1.5hrs), i lie awake on a bed for 4 hours w/ my head tilted 6 degrees lower than my feet, then they redo all the tests again. it was kinda tiring, although interesting at times. the best part was the fact that the experimenter (Darran Fischer) was taking pictures for his thesis, so i asked him if i could take pictures too since i had my camera in my bag. he wasn't expecting that, but he said ok, so it turned out to be kinda fun. there were 2 women helping throughout the day too: Danielle (lab tech - did all the ultrasound, some monitoring stuff) & Myra (nurse - stole my blood). everything went pretty smoothly, but the following were a few quotes that i remember hearing throughout the day. the following are some phrases you definitely don't want to hear while being examined/experimented on:

(Scenario: me lying on the bed w/ all sorts of electrodes/monitoring devices attached, behind me they're looking at various monitors and stuff. i can't see anything, but i can hear...)

darran: what? what's that? that shouldn't be there?
danielle: ok let's just leave it there for now, see what happens...

danielle: what's that doing in there? that's not right...

darran (looking at my ultrasound image): hmmm...where is it...oh, that's a big one!

darran: aah...looks like it just fell out.

o_O

anyway...i'm still alive, and as the ultrasound image shows, i DO have a heart:

Notes from the Nipple...

DDT: Dumbell Dropping Turd - Monday, October 18 2004

today was...boring. greek mythology class was boring. quick trip to the gym after that, where i was an idiot and somehow dropped a dumbell on myself. iono, maybe i was still sleeping from the previous class. wasn't even that heavy, i was pushin for my 15th rep, n all of a sudden my right wrist just kinda buckled (maybe i didn't have such a good grip) n my elbow gave out n the darn thing comes down on me and bounces off my collarbone. that was close. it landed right on the spot where i broke it before too, but stupid is as stupid does. dumbells can't hurt dumbells right? i was fine. then i went to study for my music midterm - boring. then psychology class, o man...so boring it put me to sleep a few times. man that professor Anglin, nice guy n all, but the guy's about as interesting as a _____________ (you choose). only 2 bright spots: the cute chick @ SLC Tim Horton's, but even better, i found a new, free piece of furniture for my room:



Return of the Retard - Tuesday, October 19 2003

well whaddya know? today's Music 245 midterm wasn't that bad. at least that's what i think anyway, ah well what's done is done. o yeah, stupid retard raph was back at it again today. went swimming in the morning before my exam, but forgot to bring my goggles (for the second time!). i asked the guard if the had any that i could borrow but they didn't, so i figured i'd just swim w/ my eyes "mostly" closed and that hopefully my contacts wouldn't fall out. well, good news is that they didn't fall out, and i didn't hit anyone while swimming. only downside was that i'd start swimming diagonally at times, i'd start off in one corner of the lane, and when i reached the other side and stopped to look around i'd be at the wrong corner. must've been amusing for the guard to watch some idiot zig-zagging all over the pool while looking down from the chair. got fed up after i kept smacking the lanerope so i left w/o finishing all the lengths i'd wanted to do but ah well.

(*note to self: remember goggles!)

fast forward to after dinner; i bike down to the Pharmasave @ Westmount Plaza to pick up the latest package of food/stuff that i told my parents to ship me. just a bunch of lil snacks/candy that they felt like sending, and some warmer clothes. i also told 'em to send a pack of moth balls to stick in the closet. why is this worth mentioning? well, apparently my parents must think i'm still brain damaged. i open up the box n i pull out the pack of mothballs, this particular type came in a small pack, and inside the pack the mothballs are like wrapped in little packs of two, and i was just thinking that they looked kinda like candy, looked like candy, just LOOKED like it. i turn over the package and what do i see? a note taped to the back with my mother's handwriting on it: "This is for clothes, not for eating!" o_O

uh huh...like i wouldn't notice the SMELL?? lol, it's nice to know they care at least.

later that night, decided to grab a cappucino from timmy's & read the paper before our vball game @ 2200. an interesting article caught my eye in the National Post: "Bike Diary". (NP has a reputation as a pretty crappy paper, but hey, it's all the school could afford to give us students for free i guess.) anyway, back to the article; turns out Ewan McCregor (yes, the actor), & his best friend (some dude, Charley Boorman) spent April-July riding their motorcycles over 30K kilometers from London to New York. sweet. around the world on 2 wheels? how cool is that? the paper's doing a 3-part series w/ excerpts from their upcoming book about the journey, due out in November of this year: "Long Way Round - Chasing Shadows Across the World. i'm jealous. dude, that has gotta be up on my "to do" list for this lifetime. i'd even settle for just being able to ride across Canada, but the whole friggin' world?? that'd just be too cool. maybe someday...when i have a lot of money, and a lot of spare time. =P

guinea pig & a monster wok - Wednesday, October 20 2004

well today was a bit more interesting. got a call from the psychology department to take part in some test tomorrow morning...nothing too exciting though. just some computer testing stuff in a lab tomorrow morning, but i get paid $8.00 woohoo! on friday though, i'll be a lab rat for the kinesiology department, they're doing some experiment on "bed rest" and blood pressure (or something like that). went in for a brief orientation this afternoon; they're gonna take some blood, stick some needle in my arm for 8 hours, monitor my blood flow or something in the morning, then they put some sort of pressure machine on me (or me inside?) that simulates something, then they do all these tests, then they steal some plasma from me again afterwards. something about seeing if they can minimize the fatigue/fainting that happens to astronauts after they return to earth because they've been known to faint or something like that. o_O nothing "dangerous" they kept assuring me...hahaha. i got my first (and probably only) ULTRASOUND today too! how cool is that? they stick this gel on u, then they stick this other gadget on ur stomach, n !BAM! i look over at this lil monitor and i can see my stomach! he was checking if i had a "good image" or not (if you don't, they can't use you), and it turns out i DO have a "good image". hahaha, iono if it's something i should be happy about, but it was so trippy; you're actually looking inside of yourself...he was looking at some vein...can't rmmbr the proper name, some vein that brings blood to/from my stomach, and then to the "inferior vena cava"? whoaa...flashbacks from grade 12 Biology...but yeah apparently i have a "pretty big one". would that explain my appetite? who knows...

it'll take most of the day though, so from 0800-1730 on friday i'll be in some room w/ electrodes all over me, some metal in my arm, and attached to some machine for a while. how much did it take for them to convince me into agreeing to this? $25 and free lunch. hey what can i say; i'm not too hard to satisfy. i wonder if they'll let me take pictures....?

anyway, seeing as how the guy said not to eat too big of a breakfast that morning, i decided to stock up now. lucky for me, cassandra (one of my housemates) busted out her wok for us to use in the apartment. excellent! i was truly happy, now i can make all the fried noodles i want, and not have to worry about spilling stuff over onto the stovetop. i'd post pictures, but it seems photobucket.com is starting to put a storage limit on their free accounts, so if you wanna see you'll have to click.

!EDIT! just got back from the grocery run, where i gave in to temptation and bought a tub of ice cream...i hate myself.

in this week's "Nipple News":

Thursday, October 14 2004

quiet day, woke up an hour later than planned (stupid alarm) but still managed to get in a few laps @ the pool before class. rest of the day was pretty sluggish, managed to get in a couple hours of studying tonight for my Mythology mid-term tomorrow morning, went to chill @ William's for a bit before heading home; i had a date....w/ a mochaccino.

it was nice, cool night air, no rain, it would've been perfect if it weren't for the noisy/buzzed crowd of kids out there next to me. no matter, i just plugged in my headphones & listened to the croonings of Switchfoot. much better.

while listening, i was prompted to pause & think for a bit while spending time with my "date"; post-secondary life (esp. these past 2 years in 'loo) has been pretty hectic, the busiest time of my life so far i guess: studying, projects, exams, papers...all designed to help me "learn" about how to get a good job/"be successful" in life. but beyond that, i think the education that i'll remember most, the lessons that will help me most in life and that i'll carry with me forever, are the ones learned outside the classroom. yeah i know, how cliche, but it's true...i just hope that all the busyness of institutional education doesn't get in the way of my real learning - learning to enjoy life, to live as a better person, to love & forgive, to breathe...

whoaa...wasn't that sappy?? ok that's enough of this, time to go cut some meat!


Friday, October 15 2004

greek mythology midterm in the morning sucks, not much else worth mentioning...xcept i had a wonderful dinner; made 1 of the 4 t-bones i bought @ sobeys the other day. it was wonderful:



Saturday, October 16 2004

woke up at some disgustingly early hour this morning to go down to Kitchener w/ a bunch of ppl n do some volunteer construction work for Habitat for Humanity. it was pretty interesting, although the morning was brutal; sanding in a basement that felt like the freezer section w/ these 2 other volunteer guys, then patching up drywall w/ this "mud" stuff, then more sanding...my wrist/forearm was dying. 2nd half of the day was less punishing, slapped a few coats of paints on doors/closet-doors. there were 4 units in the building, most of everyone else was in the basement doing drywall in one of 'em, but they got me to paint stuff in another suite by my lonesome...that was cool though. painting can actually be pretty relaxing i think, if you don't focus on your aching forearm and crackling wrists. got to talk to the lady who was moving into the suite i was building though, that was kinda interesting. she was painting some other stuff in the same room, turns out that all successful applicants moving into houses built by Habitat for Humanity have to do a minimum of 500 hours working on the actual house themselves (kinda like their down payment) which was kinda cool i thought.


neway, after that, went home & had a snack. then a quick nap, then it was off to dinner w/ our campus rec vball team @ WCRI: pasta, chicken, ham, potatoes, & ground beef on zuccini courtesy of Deb & Ray. good stuff (should've brought my camera.) got drenched by a freakish flood of rain on the walk over there though, looked like i'd pissed my pants backwards. played vball @ CIF for a lil over an hour afterwards, then back home to crash.

Camel - Sunday, October 17 2004

woke up early yet again this morning to bike along w/ the rest of the crazy crew who were gonna jog to CFC for service this morning. used eric's bike cuz it had the odometer n just kinda paced/kept track of how fast everyone was going. carried a bunch of peoplke's stuff in my backpack too, therefore i was the "camel". it was good, except we didn't really plan on the rain. dude...my ass was wet like you wouldn't believe. this must be what it feels like when you're a baby and your parents forget to change your diaper. anyway, it was a good run, woke me up good. but afterwards my stomach was crying out for nourishment. "fasted" all the way through service, but when i got home i had to answer the gastrointestinal plea. i made a sandwich. but not just ANY sandwich. this sandwich was special. it didn't even start out as a sandwich, it started out as some kinda breakfast stirfry, but it evolved & somehow morphed itself into sandwich form:


...
beautiful ain't it? so beautiful in fact, i thought it deserved its own album.

last but not least, talked to my buddy Don whom i met back in the day @ BCIT & after discussing some mundane everyday things (such as ugly monkeys, pissing of bridges and eating apples at the same time), i decided to quote him. congratulations dude, you've got the new "quote of the moment".

Welcome to the Nipple's: Weekend Review...

Thursday, October 7 2004

well whaddya know? that african music + Big Mountain song must've worked: it's 17 degrees again tonight! woohoo! played tennis for the 1st time over at the Waterloo tennis club (free for students!) tonight too w/ mike n johnny. that was kinda fun...maybe tennis isn't that bad afterall. afterwards, i was just relaxing out on the balcony & a random though came to mind:

wouldn't it be cool if i could do chin-ups hanging off the rail of our balcony?

mmm...but perhaps not. maybe if i lived on the 2nd floor. =P

Friday, October 8 2004

thanksgiving potluck @ Westcourt tonight. got home around 5ish, dealt w/ the stuff i was gonna bring, then taste-tested miriam & jane's deviled eggs, and helped make potatoe skins & mashed potatoes before heading over. it was good food & good times @ 252 again tonight...

Saturday, October 9 2004

how do i know that i'm studying @ UW? what other school on earth has students studying on campus on a saturday afternoon?! yup...that'd be me today. went to bed around 4am the night before, woke up around 9ish, felt the need to visit the bathroom, but decided waking up would take more effort than holding it in & the opportunity cost of snoozing a bit longer outweighed the idea of taking a piss, so i went back to sleep.

after getting up, i did everything i could think of to put off studying: ate breakfast, made lunch, checked my email, took out the recycling, did the dishes, checked my email, took out the trash, took a shower, checked my emal...etc...until i finally decided to drag my ass to school @ around 3-4. fall was in the air:

found mr. yung sleeping on his books upstairs in the SLC. sat down n studied for a while and actually got some notetaking done amidst numerous naps and several paper airplane flights. i have to admit, UW's really a great place to study, i've grown fond of the atmosphere/environment at this place. 6pm: decidede i'd hit my mental capacity for the day, decided i needed to unwind a bit before going home so i hit the piano room for a bit. great idea:

went home n cooked dinner, checked my email, tlkd to mom n dad on msn for a bit, dad just got back from his business trip to montreal. told 'em i heard a dog barking outside while i was in the kitchen, sounded very much like bobo...i miss see fut jai! mom sent me some pics, they were taken right after they took bobo to get here regular vaccinations so she's a bit out of it:

aaanyway...plan is to head to 'sauga tonight, come back late sunday or monday. packed a few things, took some pics of the sunset from the balcony,

played some guitar...i really don't like studying/reading. ah well, i think it's time to check my email again...

(Saturday night...)
got to mike's place in 'sauga around 12ish, met his pet turtles (Raphael & Michelangelo, they're around 10-years old), and had some microwave lasagna before crashing. can u believe it? a pet named after me? cool...


Pho Shizzle - Sunday, October 10 2004

went to service @ Hosanna Evangelical Free church in 'sauga this morning w/ mike, his sister jen, & the real mr. yung & had thanksgiving lunch there afterwards too. this is the 3rd time i've come out to TO since i started going to UW in sept. of 2002, and each time i've tried out a different church; first some Korean Presbyterian one in 2002, Hallelujah E-free back in Winter, and now this one, so that's kinda cool.

afterwards we (me n mike) went to Square One for a bit. while we were walking n talking somehow mike started saying something about one of his buddies who always seems to piss everywhere when he's drunk...my bladder must've been listening to his story too cuz all of a sudden i felt the urge as well. now ppl say that Square One's the 2nd biggest mall in Canada (second only to West Edmonton), so it was no surprise that washrooms were hard to find. we were inside Old Navy at the time, & lucky for me they had this display that served as a perfect cover:

after losing some weight we walked around some more then went to Sport Chek outside the mall afterwards on his recommendation which was a good idea b/c i ended up getting a pair of shorts (b/c i need shorts for this summer weather we're having y'know) cheaper than they were sposed to be b/c they tagged the price wrong. woohoo! i love getting lucky breaks.

after that, it was a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (nam style) @ Pho 99. felt a lil awkward being at a family gathering as the outsider aka "westcoast weirdo", but it was cool. then, we headed over to mak's place to chill. just hung out for a bit, played some pool, looked @ some shots of wayne & jessica's wedding & banquet which was just yesterday, & ended off just chillin' & talkin' for a bit on the balcony. tried to get some pics of the view from the apartment but my photoskills are weak:



headed back to 'loo around 0130-0200ish, made a pit-stop @ a mcdonald's on the highway, n finally got home & crashed around 0400. this was a good thanksgiving weekend, pho shizzle mah nizzle...

ghost town - Monday, October 11 2004 (Thanksgiving)

yeesh...wanted to pick up a few groceries today, thought i'd bike to downtown Waterloo n walk around the stores on King st. to look around & stuff, but they were !closed! thanks to thanksgiving/oktoberfest. even valu-mart (the grocery store) was closed. i thought; fine be that way. i'll just bike up to that new Canadian Wholesale Club place, i'll get my food from there. so i bike another 10mins. or so up to that place. bloody !closed! alright, that's annoying, but ok i'll bike even further up n try Zehrs @ Conestoga Mall. that's a decent sized lil mall so it should be open right? bloody fricking ass !closed! what's wrong w/ this town?! morons i say:

thanksgiving was never that big a deal back in vancouver, it's not like Christmas or anything? is the friggin hospital closed too? o no, wait, they wouldn't close that place...they'll need it to treat those drunken idiots who got wasted b/c of Oktoberfest.

as you can see, i was a lil perturbed by now, whether from lack of groceries or from biking in the midday sun...i'm not sure. ah well, at least good 'ol Starbuck's & Chapters was still open, & BK too. so i ended up having a BK lunch, decided to catch up on some reading so i picked up the latest issue of Superbike & settled down outside Starbuck's. aaah...i felt a lil better after that.

welp...hope you've enjoyed this Weekend Review, it's dinner time! ( . )

summer's slippin' away... - Wednesday, October 6 2004

argh, the inevitable cold is creeping up on me here in Waterloo...but i can't get depressed, no time to mope! lucky i got a dose of inspiration today:

just before lunch i got to go see Njacko Backo (an African drummer from Cameroon) perform on campus for free as part of an assignment for my World Music course. this dude was hilarious w/ his wisecracks & dreadlocks, and his drumming was whack; polyrhythms, crazy variations, singing, & all these diff. types of drums n instruments, it was pretty cool. he said they have these big ass drums in the village that they call the "african telephone" & they use it to communicate, and today he brought a smaller version of it that he called the "african cell phone". at the end he got a bunch of ppl to go up n play along w/ him too, i was playin the shakers, some others on drums, one girl got to use the "african cell phone", and he even got 2 ppl to dance (sorta). it was great entertainment, just wish that i'd known about these free noon hour concerts the last 2 years i was here. ah well, that made my day.

SO...thanks to today's inspiring musical journey, i've a new retro-tune in my head - hot days & warm summer nights are gone, but i can still close my eyes, reminisce about summer & let the sounds of Big Mountain send me off to some sunny, sandy beach in jamaica...with lots of coconuts.

summer in Vancouver...

busybusybusy... - Sunday, October 3 2004

got a bunch of schoolwork/studying piling up already, along w/ some extra-curricular commitments, these next few days seem like they're gonna suck...well, at least i had some fun the previous 2 days:

Conquer the Tree - Friday, October 1 2004

CCF Fall Retreat - Saturday, October 2 2004

re: Family...
went to CFC this morning & pastor Ken was speaking on family relationsihps, finishing up his 4-part series in which he used popular movies (and their titles) to give a message about how we can/should build strong households & families. movies used were: "the Mate Risk" - on dating, "Bored of the Rings" - on marriage, "Honey, we Shrunk the Kids" - on parenting, and "not Home Alone" - on family relationships in general.

it was about half way through his sermon that it occurred to me that i'd never paid attention to the fact that none of the 4 members of my family are anywhere near each other right now;

me - school in Waterloo
pop - 3-week business trip in Montreal
mui - school in Prince George
& mom (avec Bobo aka SeeFutJai et Jervis) - in vancouver.

i was a bit surprised that i'd never looked at the situation with more deliberate eye...i've probably given more attention to how i filet my chicken breasts, than i have to empathizing with the rest of my family. i rmmbr times when my parents (mom usu.) would call for no apparent reason, bug me on icg/msn; asking those questions parents usu. ask n just basically being "nosy". at first i'd get annoyed at having to answer seemingly pointless questions over n over again, and now it's gotten to the point where i just give 'em the "yeah, uh huh, everything's good, blablabla..." response, w/ the occasional update on trivial stuff like events/happenings @ school etc... i know they're just calling cuz they care & this year i've been trying to reciprocate a lil bit by asking them about things @ home, but i usu. just end up asking about See Fut Jai & Jervis more or less. although that's better than nothing, i seriously think i'm gonna make more of an effort to be a "good son" (i.e. try & show 'em that i care more often), & a "good brother" too while i'm at it. really shouldn't be hard get started, we've all got emails @ least, then there's text messaging, icq/msn...yeaaah...i don't really have an excuse not to. welp, i can start by firing off an email w/ some pics attached, always seems to amuse them.

k. got a Psych midterm tomorrow evening, History assignment due tomorrow night, a volleyball game on tuesday night, and a World Music quiz on thursday. lovely...o_O

o yeah, speaking of my Psych class, it's Developmental Psychology course and one of the topics we're covering is the formation of Gender Roles; what they are and how they come about. i think this pic from saturday's Fall Retreat is great evidence that when left alone to answer to their primal instincts, both male & female members of our species know exactly what to do. it's quite remarkable actually, these laws of nature: